AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Now here he is, standing on the sidewalk, looking exactly the same as he did all those years ago with his dark blue eyes, his wild blond hair, and crooked smile. His weak persona radiates off him, and it’s something I can see so very clearly now. It’s as if I never noticed it before, but now, it’s the only thing I notice. I was so certain he would be my knight in shining armor, but it turns out he simply didn’t have it in him.
“Billy,” I say, my voice low and somewhat unimpressed. “A face I never thought I’d see again.”
He takes a step forward, his eyes wide, as if he wants to stretch his hand out. He refrains, letting his arms dangle by his sides as he takes me in, eyes roaming my body, every inch of it.
“You ... you look different.”
“I got the hell out of here, got strong, no thanks to you.”
His face falls. “I have hoped every single day since I left that I’d get the chance to see you again, to tell you how sorry I am. Now you’re here, the words simply aren’t forming.”
“Let me make it easy for you, I forgive you. There, does that help?”
My sarcasm is strong, but it’s the only thing that covers my hurt.
His eyes soften, just a touch. “What I did to you was wrong on so many levels. I was young, but more than that, I didn’t understand. Your world scared me, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”
Ignoring his speech, I cross my arms. “Yet here you are, standing in this neighborhood like you own the place.”
“Well, I guess you could say I took an interest in all of this after you left. I came back for you, Addison, but you were gone.”
That hits me like a knife to the heart, an unexpected reaction. I figured Billy was long gone, and I assumed he never looked back, but here he is, telling me he came back for me. That’s something I never thought I’d hear.
“Too little too late,” I say, my voice low.
“You look good. It would seem you saved yourself. I always knew you would.”
I snort. “Oh, is that why you left? Figured I had it in me to do it on my own? Yeah, thanks for that.”
His face tightens, pain mostly. “No, I left because I was weak. When I came back, and you were gone, it really hit me. So many women are struggling, and nobody is helping them. I should have done more; I should have taken you away. All I could think about was when you asked me if I ever spent a night on the streets. I did, you know. I spent an entire week on these streets, and when I was done, something inside me was forever changed. I knew I had to do something, so I come down here every so often and I help someone. I offer them a safe home, I help them get clean and get a job, then I set them up with a new life. So far, I’ve helped six women and they’re all still doing well.”
I’m shocked, a little proud, and a whole lot hurt.
Partly because I wish he had done that for me.
“You help them?” I manage, my voice tight.
“Yeah,” he answers, “it’s the least I can do. I know it doesn’t matter to you, Addison, but I am sorry. I’ll forever regret leaving you.”
The lump that forms in my throat is too much for me to handle.
I shouldn’t have come here.
I should have left this in the past, where it belongs.
The trauma is too strong.
“I have to go,” I say, pressing a hand to my chest as I turn.
“Addi,” Billy calls, as I race across the street.
I don’t look back.
I can’t.
This is part of my life that I closed the door on long ago.
It needs to stay shut.
